Thankfully, Rita didn't get a chance to stall over Texarkana as originally forecast. A front from the west scattered it into a north-south line to be pushed off the east coast. So, it appears we dodged the Mississippi and Ohio valley flooding for now.

I'm still watching the climate and geologic factors. I wouldn't be surprised to see another major hurricane develop before the season ends officially in November.

Some potentiality is still brewing for around October 8th. I'm still not sure what, but part of me feels like I am 'bracing' for it (though not for me personally). The rest of me is simply sure that there will be (Earth) work to do at that time, and frankly, it's exciting to help with it.

Three independent sources have brought a new report to my attention concerning statistics on melting polar ice. In reference to the amount of ice: "In 2005, it's the lowest on record. We've watched it retreat year after year." "New satellite photos show that the ice pack has shrunk by 30% since 1978 ((when we started satellite monitoring)) and the melting is speeding up causing the warmest summer in 400 years." "With studies showing increasing hurricane intensity over the past 30 years linked to rising sea temperatures, and recent record heat waves in North America, a growing number of scientists say it's all interconnected." phht Yes, of course it's all connected.

"[The melting] has the potential for raising sea level very significantly. We're not talking about sea level rise just in the Arctic. We're talking about sea level rise around the globe, so everybody is going to experience it, particularly regions that have low lying areas."

Their predictions on when we might see significant rise vary from 25 to 100 yrs, but I'm thinking it will become consistently problematic much sooner. I hate to jump on the 2012 bandwagon, but the marker is somewhere between here and there, imo. I would expect big changes in the shape of North America to occur -by- 2012. The Earth is rebalancing and that means a lot of moving and shaking to get there.

It's a sign. Katrina and Rita are saying, "Don't live in the delta of the Mississippi." It has always been a hazard waiting to happen... well... it is now happening. So, move, permanently. The hurricane season lasts through November. Katrina and Rita may not be the end of the message. Listen. Hear. Act.

Rita's legacy does not end with landfall. The storm is expected to sit for a while over Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Besides the tornado activity that area will see, the rivers in that region feed the Mississippi River. Gulf waters and lakes have been instrumental in the flooding so far, but when all that rain falls over those states and flows into the Mississippi, there will be river flooding too. And, when the southern section of the Mississippi floods, it backs up to the north, flooding that area, even up into the Ohio River.

Water. We are going to see more water and it isn't going to just drain away anymore. The shape of the Mississippi River Valley is changing. It will broaden from the delta northward almost to St Louis. The Mississippi Embayment will eventually be a northern extension of the Gulf of Mexico. People who stubbornly choose to stay in that area, or move back there, will ultimately be lost. The messages are clear already but they will get louder and stronger until there is no longer a choice. This is what I see.

I'm not the only one who sees the water rising. Although the EPA and IPCC want to blame it all on global warming, and I don't, they are at least looking at the impact. Regardless of why it happens, it is going to happen, it IS happening.



"Melting of polar ice and land-based glaciers is expected to contribute to a 1/2 ft to 3ft sea level rise within this century. Shrinking ice caps also cause changes in ocean circulation and storm tracks. To be sure, not all of the melting currently occurring is due to global warming." (Correct, it's just adding to a natural cycle.)

Incidentally, I think that map and the guesstimates on sea level rise are very conservative.

People who choose to live in those red zones are choosing to be flooded out, year after year, until they move or drown. That's just how it is. I guess we should reserve some posthumous Darwin awards for them.

Things I am watching:
~ solar activity, ie, flares and CMEs
~ the 'slow slip' of the Juan de Fuca plate in a reverse direction from its usual creep
~ other seismic activity worldwide, esp So Cal and the NMSZ, plus events in unusual places
~ a curious 100 sq mi bulge beneath Oregon near South Sister mountain in the Cascades
~ Mount St Helens activity
~ in fact, the whole Cascade range
~ the magma bubble beneath Yellowstone Lake
~ the unfolding of the rest of the hurricane season

Thank you. All my questions aren't answered yet, but I did get a lot more puzzle pieces and I appreciate that.
With Gratitude, Griffen
PS - Keep it comin' ;) You know I am mortally curious.

Dear Universe,
Clues are very interesting. Now how about some reasons, some explanations, some clearly detailed messages? I know I'm generally allergic to reading the directions, but honestly, I'd make an effort on this stuff. :) So like, so like, so like... just exactly what's supposed to be on my agenda for October, hm?
Thank You
Your pal, Griffen

Rant Mode ON
Rumors are very often lies. I saw an interview today with an NOPD officer who was in the Superdome for the duration. He said they had officers and troops roaming the place continually, even sleeping with one eye open, when they slept at all, and they kept the criminal activity pretty well in check. He is ordinarily in charge of rape crisis reports in New Orleans and he said the rumors about murders, rapes and whatever going on in the Superdome were wrong. He was aware of two attempted rapes and the offenders were soon arrested and detained away from the rest of the population. Yeah, he could have been lying to cover his ass, but I think I read people pretty well and the man seemed sincere, truthful, and justifiably a little annoyed that wild stories were circulating when he and his comrades had worked damned hard to make sure none of that shit happened. Not only that, but he was rather proud of the 25,000 or so citizens who were in horrible circumstances but managed to behave.

There are apparently true horror stories being relayed about the Convention Center in New Orleans, but as far as I know that was not a designated shelter like the Superdome. So, assumptions were made, erroneous assumptions. People went there on their own and had to wait for help that was very slow in coming, leaving them without police support and so on. Maybe FEMA etc should have realized people would go there, but I don't think that oversight is justification for condemning the agencies. It's something they need to look at in future, ie, not only where they tell people to go, but likely locations where people may take refuge. Seems to me that most of the people who ended up at the Convention Center are the ones who slip through the cracks even under ordinary circumstances. This event just took that to a new level. Even so, if 20,000 or 15,000 or even 10,000 people ended up at the Convention Center and they can only find a few really gruesome stories, that's a pretty impressive percentage, especially without official support.

It's rather aggravating to me that people seem to be ignoring the fact that about 350,000, more than 75% of folks in New Orleans, followed the evacuation order. There's an estimated 100,000 who couldn't or wouldn't. The good does outweigh the bad, 3 to 1. Also, the media doesn't seem to have time to report the progress being made in Mississippi and Alabama. But hey, it's not as dramatic. Bad news makes news.

I saw a program on Arkansas Educational Television, Arkansans KARE (Katrina Assistance and Relief Effort). They interviewed some of the evacuees and two men in particular, a couple of middle aged black men, expressed their thanks for Arkansans' support and relocation opportunities. They were asked if they wanted to go back to New Orleans. They said no, that honestly they had not lived well there, and knew that this day would eventually come, but in the 40 or so years of their lives, they just never could afford to get out. They plan to be citizens of Arkansas now, pulling their own weight, not wanting to burden anyone. They plan to build a small business, apparently lawncare, because they said a fellow had already helped them by offering the loan of a truck, trailer, and needed equipment until they could afford their own.

These fellows are not the only ones who plan to leave the disaster zone for good.
The Australian "Evacuees vow not to return to broken city"

Truly, the majority of those who have been hit the hardest are, yes, black, and yes, poor. This disaster isn't how anyone would've wanted to help them out, but it WILL help them... out of a hazard zone, out of generations of poverty, and hopefully out of some remaining racial stigmas. Yes, dammit, I believe they will be better off.

Oh, and I caught Paula Zahn on CNN trying to get reporters and other interviewees to say things were and are dramatically nasty, how authories failed, how citizens were being criminal, how cops plan to go in and run people out of New Orleans at gun point.... She was surely unsatisfied. She had to keep re-spinning her spiel (Yeah, but isn't it so that... Not really... But aren't there reports of... Not so many....). The reporters just kept telling her, No, it's just not that way. The police, troops, and other helpers are trying to do their jobs. The citizens are trying to make the best of a bad situation. Sorry, Paula, hate to disappoint you and all the other media ghouls who seem unable to recognize that humans, especially Americans, are basically good, and even better in a crisis.

Incidentally, NOPD officials insisted today, compassionately, that they would use absolute minimal force necessary to remove the remaining citizens from New Orleans. Why must they leave, you say? I finally heard why. We already know the water is toxic, but the toxins are getting more concentrated and more deadly as the water is being pumped out or evaporating. Plus, the chemicals they will have to use for cleaning up the toxins are, in many cases, also poisonous until they've done their job, ie, the initial combination may be even more toxic. The water and the air may be deadly to anyone not properly outfitted. In addition, all repairs to infrastructure will be unnecessarily slowed if the crews have to be concerned with the welfare of stragglers. (Not to mention the waste of manpower if they had to make sure the stubborn continued to get clean water and food delivered.) There's a massive amount of debris that has to be removed and workers must pick through it now for survivors and bodies. The bulldozers sure won't be able to do it. While gas and electricity are being repaired or demolished, all those firefighters from NYC and other places as well as locals are going to be plenty busy. They should not have to risk their lives to save stupid people.

Assumptions are just as bad as rumors. People assume we should have been able to handle this because we have handled other hurricanes, other floods, other natural and unnatural disasters. That is bullshit. We have never had to deal with anything on this scale. We're talking about 450,000 people in New Orleans alone. We're talking about 90,000 square miles of damage from Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf coast. 90,000 square freakin miles. That's an area about the size of New England. It's not going to be repaired in weeks, or even months, if ever. The population is not going to be able to move back in and carry on, not for months, if ever. And why would they want to? So they can continue to duck and cover every year when this could happen again?

Rant Mode... I think I'll just leave it idling for a bit.

Hurricane Katrina: Best and worst. Fortunately, most people show their best side when such events occur. Unfortunately, some show their worst (looters and snipers?!? sheesh) and the media loves to focus on the ugly dramas. Still, I will give the media credit for helping with infomation when few other communication options were available. There have been many cases in which only the news people seemed to know about stranded folks, and while they were not equipped to rescue them, they've alerted the rescue crews.

There has been a lot of criticism about the way this thing has been handled, but I think the nature and scope of it is just something we haven't faced before. The affected area is not one or two counties in Florida, it's a huge chunk of the Gulf coast. While the usual recovery might have worked for affected areas, individually, there's just too much area to be dealt with all at once. Also, when monster hurricanes have hit in the past, the water usually receded immediately and made it possible to get help in there right away. Of course this is just not true in New Orleans especially.

Thumbs Up: Major kudos to the folks who accurately predicted the hurricane's path, got the warning out in time, and seriously enough, to save hundreds of thousands of people. It's wonderful that neighboring regions (especially Houston TX) have stepped up to offer unprecedented assistance with relocation, etc. It's terrific to see other countries actually offering aid to the US (seeing as how we seem to bail out everyone else when they need it). I also applaud the decision to cut off water and food drops to people who are still refusing to be evacuated from the cesspool that still exists in New Orleans. Cheers to those people who have wisely realized they should relocate permanently.

Thumbs Down: I have no pity for people who could have evacuated but chose not to. I have no pity for people who still won't leave when rescuers have gone through so much trouble to find them. I have absolutely no pity or tolerance for the criminals who have jeopardized the relief effort by taking pot shots at rescue workers. IMO, the authorities should be allowed to kill them on sight because they jeopardize many innocent lives with their idiocy.

We will learn a lot from this event and, as I've stated, I think we will need that knowledge. I'm sure there will be endless debates about what could have or should have been done. However, the powers seem to have had their priorities fairly well in order: save lives, then deal with the rest. That's the best thing we can do.

I want to be wrong. I sincerely want to be wrong. However, events keep occurring which suggest I may be right. I don't want to be a doomsayer, but I cannot paint a rosey future for humanity with what I am 'seeing' on the horizon in regards to Earth changes.

A series of hurricanes a year ago; the quakes and tsunamis in the Indian Ocean; increases in other earthquake activity, especially in unusual places; awakening volcanic activity; and now Katrina trying to reshape the Gulf of Mexico coastline... These things feel like we are gearing up for more troubled times ahead.

I have 'seen' drastic Earth changes, but without details. I believe the ultimate impact is as yet unwritten. However, I also believe that like a bruise it will get worse before it gets better.

I have actually thought the changes might be from one or two monster global events, but it's also possible that it is happening by way of a series of regional events like unusually large and damaging hurricanes and tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic activity, etc. Not sure if that's better or worse. While it would get increasingly difficult to recover from a series of events, we may at least have a little breathing room in between, versus one or two totally devastating blows. These early events may also be prompting people to move out of dangerous areas that will eventually be permanently destroyed.

Though I have not seen a lot of specifics, I feel that ultimately the entire world will be involved. Water levels will rise and/or land will sink. For instance, the ocean may overrun low edges of the California coastline and fill in the caldera, creating a huge bay or inland sea. Melting of polar ice, volcanic ash in the air (Yellowstone looms in my mind), and such, will make significant climate changes. I can see the frost line moving southward in the US.

Here are other results I'm 'seeing'...
The west coast of the US will be cut back significantly; the Gulf of Mexico will reach up the Mississippi River to St Louis, Missouri, effectively splitting the US; most of Florida may disappear as well as a good portion of the eastern US coastline. There may be very little left of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, only the highest points, and those will be much colder, perhaps too cold for habitation. Not sure about the rest of the world, although it is strangely possible that the South Pacific will actually rise and be more solid land instead of strips of islands. During the process though, most of those people may be lost.

I think this is all being brought about by changes in the Earth's alignment with the Sun and the galactic equator. What I see is electromagnetic forces being adjusted significantly, changing the operation of the Earth's dynamo core, ie, the way in which the Earth receives and uses solar energy through the protective electomagnetic field (our EMF shield). Magnetic north may actually flip, perhaps suddenly, across the geographic north pole (90°lat, 0°lon) to a location over in Siberia, instead of where it is now (north of Canada). These changes will set up (are setting up) greater and different tension in the Earth's crust. Tectonic plates and other weak points (volcanoes, fault lines) will have to make adjustments. The energy shifts and magnetic shifts will affect atmospheric and ocean currents to create big climate changes. Magnetic changes may also cause the Earth to attract more meteor near-misses or even impacts, though I do not see this as being more significant than the other effects, just adding to the mix.

Unlike "The Day After Tomorrow" and other green peace preaching, I do not think human activity is the culprit, although that may exacerbate the climate changes and flooding, since greenhouse gases do seem to be involved in the melting of the polar ice caps. Still, we are not the only cause or even the main cause. I think we're just entering an Earth cycle which we may not have experienced for at least 10,000 to 12,000 years. The fact that our recorded history does not go back to the previous cycle may be an indication of the vast changes we're about to face. But, I suspect we will survive these changes better than we did in the past and so we won't get thrown back to the stone age like before.

I hope I'm wrong, but I see a lot of devastation in humanity's future. Even so, I am not afraid. There are uncountable people working on mitigating the changes through metaphysical means and I don't think we've signed up for total destruction. It's just not going to be pretty. What we can learn from the overzealous doomsayers and green peace missionaries is just that it's prudent to make some preparations and realize that we'll need to know how to survive without all the conveniences we enjoy today.

You know, I'm real damned tired of perimenopause. I want to be PAUSED already. sheesh

I looked charp, felt goot, had phun! *snicker* Fewer people attended the 30th reunion than the 20th, but that's to be expected, I think, as people move further away from high school in the throes of life. However, most of those who did return were very happy to share an evening of nostalgia. I was surprised at how much difference even 10 years makes. It's like someone turned on the weight, turned off the hair and/or applied the bleach... just natural aging effects. The unexpected development was the realization that I had known some of these people long before high school, all the way back to elementary school. Pretty interesting, and even profound, to have a casual and yet such a long term relationship with several folks. Yeah, the dynamics of being human, of social interactions, of tendencies and potentials... it's just all fascinating. I sometimes wish I could remember now what I might have wanted for myself way back when, but then, I surely am where I was meant to be, or I wouldn't be here.

Going home this weekend for high school reunion. I hated high school, but so far the reunions have been lotsa fun. Something nifty about being at a party with loads of people who are the same age and sorta kinda knew each other way back when but really don't know each other at all. It's like a theme party that manages to bring together a broad variety of people. Once went to a Hat Party. The only thing most of us had in common was that each of us had been required to wear a hat, of our choosing. Made for instant topic of conversation. Of course, my classmates and I also share some cultural elements, musical era, etc. So, looking forward to the experience, again.

I'm ENFP - Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving
Discoverer Advocate: ENFP
Theme is inspiration, both of themselves and others. Talents lie in grasping profound significance, revealing truths, and motivating others. Very perceptive of others' hidden motives and purposes. Interested in everything about individuals and their stories as long as they are genuine. Contagious enthusiasm for "causes" that further good and develop latent potential and the same zeal for discovering dishonesty and inauthenticity. Frequently moved to enthusiastically communicate their "message."
(http://www.knowyourtype.com/)

ENFPs generally have the following traits:
- Project-oriented
- Bright and capable
- Warmly, genuinely interested in people; great people skills
- Extremely intuitive and perceptive about people
- Able to relate to people on their own level
- Service-oriented; likely to put the needs of others above their own
- Future-oriented
- Dislike performing routine tasks
- Need approval and appreciation from others
- Cooperative and friendly
- Creative and energetic
- Well-developed verbal and written communication skills
- Natural leaders, but do not like to control people
- Resist being controlled by others
- Can work logically and rationally - use their intuition to understand the goal and work backwards towards it
- Usually able to grasp difficult concepts and theories
(http://www.personalitypage.com/)

I used to think I'd be quite content to work away in my own little closet somewhere in the world. I still think that sometimes. In fact, I'm actually in that situation for all practical purposes. I don't have to go out to work everyday. I pretty much stay at home, doing my own thing.

How I get out in the world is through the electronic and virtuality marvels of our age. I love being able to get to information in an instant, to go where my whims take me... without leaving my chair here.

I also find the human connections rather interesting through this medium. There are all kinds of new dimensions to human interaction that we just aren't likely to experience in ordinary face-to-face life. It brings the world closer together, in a way. Certainly makes it possible to meet people we'd never run into otherwise.

But many of the dynamics are the same. It's still human interaction. There are still people who come into our lives for a 'reason, a season, or a lifetime' and it's still hard to know which people are which.. and what the reasons are.

And when a conflict arises, even though it's not in-person, I still hate it. I don't want to have to fight with anyone who seems hellbent on frosting my wheaties. Nor do I like getting into a tiff with someone I sure wouldn't want to lose. But, things happen. Whether it's a comfy connection or a grating one, it ain't over til it's over and you don't know it's gonna be over, for sure, ahead of time. You just have to see how it all unfolds. "To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven..."

"Time's fun when you're having flies." ~ Kermit

Back. Had a great time with family, as always. Not much more to say, and too tired to say it anyway. Relax. Enjoy the break. I'll be back to rambling before you know it.

Okay, so like, the week before Easter when I already had plans to go Home for the holiday, I picked up a new web client. One of my other web clients had referred them to me and that's terrific but their timing of finally contacting me and wanting stuff done right away, even as I was packing to go away for a long weekend... frankly sucked. Sure, I went on my trip, but there was a lot more hustle involved before leaving and a lot of making up after. It just made both activities more hectic and stressful.

So now this week, as I am preparing to go Home for the 4th, guess who wants more stuff, even though I have barely heard from them since I finished the other stuff around Easter.

I like being helpful. I like doing webwork. I like making a little extra cash. I would really like it if the timing could get worked out so I don't get into these stress-tangles. I don't mean to be ungrateful, but... well, whatever. Now I'm whining.... and I should be packing instead of blogging. *dash*
~

Selected Funnies...
~~~
A man walks into a dentist's office, the dentist asks him "How can I help you?"
The man replies "I think I'm a moth."
"Well, you need to see a psychiatrist, not a dentist."
"I know that" the man replies.
"Then why did you come in here?"
"The light was on."
~~~
A man spoke frantically into the phone, "My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only 2 minutes apart!"
The doctor asked, "Is this her first child?"
"No, ya dummy!" the man shouted, "This is her husband."
~~~
Q - Why does a chicken coop have two doors?
A - Because if it had four, it would be a chicken sedan.
~~~
Two antennae meet on a roof, fall in love and get married. The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent!
~~~
A psychiatrist interviewed three patients to see if they could be released from the hospital. He asked them one easy question, "What is 8 times 5?"
The first patient said, "139". The doctor just shook his head.
He turned to the second patient who replied "Wednesday!". The doctor frowned.
He turned to the third patient who gleefully said, "That's easy, 40!"
While the doctor went to his desk to fill out the third patient's release papers, the first patient whispered to the third, "How did you figure that one out?"
"It was simple" replied the third patient, "I just divided 139 by Wednesday!"
~~~
A priest and a pastor from the local churches are standing by the side of the road, pounding a sign into the ground that reads: "The End Is Near! Turn Yourself Around Now--Before It's Too Late!" As a car sped past them, the driver yelled, "Leave us alone, you religious nuts!" From the curve they heard screeching tires and a big splash. The pastor turns to the priest and asks, "Do you think the sign should just say "Bridge Out?"
~~~
A couple of hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing, his eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls 911. He gasps to the operator, "My friend is dead! What can I do?"
The operator, in a calm soothing voice says, "Just take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead."
There is a silence, then a shot is heard... The hunter says, "OK, now what?"
~~~

No, I didn't win the Powerball, but neither did anyone else. Hmmm... maybe I'll buy a ticket for Wednesday's drawing. ;)
~

I really have nothing to post at this time, although I did buy a Powerball ticket for tonight's drawing. Now if I win that, well, there'll be plenty of news. I'll let you know how I plan to spend the estimated $43 million jackpot. For most, if not all of you, a check will be in the mail. *grin*
~

2x2x2x2x3=48 Birthday's are funny. We really only have one per lifetime. It's the anniversary of the birth day that we're celebrating or bemoaning. Forty-eight years ago, I officially incarnated, probably for the umpteenth time.

Per Merriam-Webster (M-W.com), being incarnate is to be "invested with bodily and especially human nature and form; made manifest or comprehensible; embodied".

Comprehensible? hehe Perhaps in a preception sense. I can be perceived by other incarnated beings. I like the phrase "made manifest". That suits my belief system. Forty-eight years ago, on a Sunday afternoon, through the labors of my mother, the energy or spirit that is Me, manifested into human form, breathed life independently for the first time. That was my birth day. Everything since then has been me playing around in this lab of experience.

I kinda like it. I think I'll stick around for a good while longer. And when this run is over, I'll see if I want to sign up again. I have the feeling I've signed up innumerable times before. Must be something to it.
~